Spain: Another day in Madrid

It was our last day in Madrid and the Prado Museum is a must see. You can find some great Spanish works there.

After our morning visit to the Prado we noticed these Syrian protesters out on the street. In the typical European way, people actually gather to protest things they want to change. We don’t get around to doing that anymore in the US.

After we visited the Prado for a few hours, we decided to wander around the El Real Jardín Botánico. It is the Royal Botantical garden. We fully enjoyed the large collection of plants outside and in the greenhouses.

Fun cactus-like plant

Orchids and other hanging plants

Cactus room

Our park selfie

Next to the Real Jardín Botánico de Madrid lies the Parque del Retiro. This large park contains many trails, monuments, and lakes to enjoy. We spent a couple hours lounging around like locals. There is a boat rental and a cafe.

After lounging around the park we walked back into town and walked by this monument Puerta de Alcalá.

Also not far we happened upon this indoor outdoor area with this fabulous ceiling. I guess it is located inside what is known as the El Palacio de Comunicaciones.

After wandering around all day we were hungry. I ordered a hearty Spanish meal for dinner at a cafe nearby the hotel. It is early bedtime since we had to travel to Sevilla the next day. See you there.

Sevilla: Alcazar

The Courtyard of the Maidens

One of the treats of visiting Sevilla is getting to see Moorish architecture. The moors ruled this part of Southern Spain from about 712 – 1248 AD, when it was incorporated into Christian Spanish rule.
The Alcazar in Sevilla started as a Moorish fort and then as a royal place. It is a great representation of traditional spanish Muslim architecture or mudéjar. Mudéjar was a unique style that represented both Christian and Muslim style symbols.

The Virgin of the Navigators

The Virgin of the Navigators is a christian painting that shows Mary protecting the explorers. You can see Christopher Columbus represented in the painting.

Inside the palace, many symbols are represented in the designs.

The palace also has a nice garden to stroll around.

More inside photos

Nice wall tapestry hanging in Alcazar.

As one can see, the Alcazar is on the must see list of a visit to the beautiful city of Seville.

Spain: Beautiful Sevilla

One of the places I was most excited about in Spain was Sevilla. Sevilla to me embodied what Spain is: flamenco, paella, guitar music. I know Spain is so much more but Sevilla is essential Spain to me. After some web research, I found a great deal at the botique hotel El Rey Moro. Breakfast was included every morning and the staff was very friendly and helpful. They gave us great advice. I loved waking up each morning to the courtyard (see above) and enjoyed a glass of wine at the table in front of my room while reading a book.

We enjoyed strolling around the city and observing the architecture.

Memorials to Ferdinand and Isabella.They were directly responsible for Columbus “discovering” the new world.

Spanish snacks

Government building

Toro del Oro

Path along the river

Some tapas at Plaza Santa Ana across the river. When we first arrived it was a sleepy tavern with only a few customers. Within minutes the tavern and courtyard were flooded with churchgoers exiting the church.

The next morning we did some more sighting. We walked down to see the Basilica de la Macarena. This church, as well as many other Spanish churches, was very ornate. The basilica hosts the most revered image in Seville, the virgin Mary. This church is located in the neighborhood of the same name..that is also responsible for Los del Río’s hit song Macarena.

Nearby bell tower.

Drinking a beer in Macarena. I really wanted to do the dance but did not want to embarrass myself.

After our early day Macarena experience we wandered around more of Sevilla. We noted many orange trees (not for juicing and eating – mostly good for marmalade) and very cool Banyan trees.

Part of me is really against the sport of bull fighting but a visit to Sevilla would not be complete without a tour of the history of the toreadors. There is a long tradition there that seems to be slowing fading with time.

After hours of touring one must stop for afternoon tapas. This spinach and chickpea dish is one of my favorites.

Later on for dinner we had oxtail and fries

Below is the closest thing we got to authentic paella while we were there (unfortunately). Paella is traditionally served only at certain times and we couldn’t find reliable local advice on where to get the real stuff (most restaurant paella is pre-made and re-heated -> frozen crap). I was real disappointed about that.

And it was off to sleep to have the energy for another day of sightseeing…….

Spain: Sightseeing in Madrid

Spain was always on my bucket list of travel places to visit. However when I dreamed of Spain my thoughts leaned towards the Seville and Barcelona. I thought Madrid would be my least favorite part of my recent trip there but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the sights and food.

We started off our most recent visit checking into the modern style Hotel Regina (see room above). The hotel was affordable and in walking distance to most areas of interest – including Puerta del Sol where we saw these ladies below trying to work the crowd.

We also saw elmo and others but could only deal with so many poorly made character costumes so we headed over to Plaza Mayor where we saw this really weird goat thing.

Bubble fun…..

Interesting frescos in plaza.

Later on in the evening we happened upon a used book store.

And a store all about SHUTTING YOUR MOUTH.

Puerta del Sol was much nicer in the evening. Many people gathering around socializing. Madrid is a very social city.

Walking back to our hotel.

The next day we set out for the Royal Palace.

Official designs of the royal palace.

After we visited the palaces we stopped for tapas. Olives and sardines are a staple of tapas cusine.

We also had some chicken and tripe soup.

And Churros con chocolate

If you wander around the city enough you will happen upon small markets like this one. I liked the war machines made out of bullets.

There was also a great supply of Greek sweets.

And some fur accessories if you need them.

Nice fountain near the market.

Some beautiful night views of Madrid.

And back to our hotel to bed.

If you want to experience more of the food night life of Madrid, visit the past posts of Mercado de San Miguel and Tapas in Calle Cava Baja.

Madrid Tapas stroll on Calle Cava Baja

Previously I have talked about my food experiences at the Mercado de San Miguel. It is tough to top the food choices at the mercado but we were determined to find more good food.
For a tapas crawl experience, our guide book recommended we visit the restaurants of Calle Cava Baja in Madrid.
We started in the early evening down the street whereas most locals do not go out until after 9. We were able to try some places out before they got crowded. We made our way down the street and sampled as much food and beverages as we could for the night.